The U.S. Olympic Festival was a
multi-sport event held in the
United States by the
United States Olympic Committee in the years between the
Olympic Games. It was started in 1978 as an American counterpart to the communist
Spartakiad – a similar event held on a quadrennial basis by the former
Soviet Union and its former satellite in
East Germany. As the competitive position of U.S. athletes in the Olympics slipped relative to that of the Soviets and East Germans, it was felt the U.S. needed some kind of multi-sports event to simulate the Olympic experience.[1] It was originally called the National Sports Festival until the name was changed in 1986. It was the nation's largest junior sporting event until it ended in 1995.[2]
The U.S. Olympic Festival was a
multi-sport event held in the
United States by the
United States Olympic Committee in the years between the
Olympic Games. It was started in 1978 as an American counterpart to the communist
Spartakiad – a similar event held on a quadrennial basis by the former
Soviet Union and its former satellite in
East Germany. As the competitive position of U.S. athletes in the Olympics slipped relative to that of the Soviets and East Germans, it was felt the U.S. needed some kind of multi-sports event to simulate the Olympic experience.[1] It was originally called the National Sports Festival until the name was changed in 1986. It was the nation's largest junior sporting event until it ended in 1995.[2]